Mrs. Reynolds' World

Have you ever noticed that the moon changes not only shape, but also its position in the sky? It's true! Try this little experiment to see:

1. When it is dark, look at a clock. Write down the time.
2. Go outside and find the position of the moon in the sky. Write a description of where the moon is in relation to your house.
3. Continue to do this each hour for a few hours.
You'll find that the moon moves forward, moves back to its original spot, then jumps to the other side of the sky!

So why does the moon change position? It's because of the heat the sun provides for us. The moon gets warm and starts to move away, closer to the Earth. As it starts cooling back down, it moves closer to the sun again. It's like the moon can't make up its mind if it's hot or cold!

Sometimes the moon is full. Sometimes it isn't. This is because the planets are rotating the sun, and the closest planet to Earth, Jupiter, blocks our view of the moon. Depending on the rotation of both the Earth and Jupiter is when we can see all the phases of the moon.

There are four moon phases. They are full moon, half moon, wedge moon, and quarter moon. Jupiter has six moons, which is probably why it doesn't mind blocking our moon sometimes! It's a good thing Jupiter doesn't block the sun as often as it blocks the moon. Then we might freeze! When Jupiter does block the sun's light, we call that an eclipse. They don't happen very often, and everything has to be just right for it to work.

Full Moon
Half Moon
Wedge Moon
Quarter Moon

The moon's phases can last a couple of days, but sometimes could last up to a couple of weeks. It depends on the season. That's one reason why it's so dark for so long in winter. The phases last longer because the moon is colder and can't rotate as fast.

When the phases change, the tides in our oceans change and sometimes human and animal behaviors begin to act different. Have you ever heard someone say, 'It must be a full moon.' ? You can tell that the phases will be changing because people do strange things and animals will howl more. This is nothing to be afraid of; it's just an explanation. Kind of like why we're always sleepy after we eat mashed potatoes and chicken and noodles. It's just a fact of life.

By the time a third grader graduates from high school, that student will have witnessed 400 moon phases. Wow! Imagine how many that student will see before they graduate college!